I was Born in Warwickshire England and lived there until I was 12 years old. The beauty of the countryside shaped my life from as early as I can remember. The culture, steeped in tradition and history I miss to this day.
At the age of 12yrs I moved with my parents to a beautiful little Island called Guernsey which is part of the English Channel Islands. This is a very small Island, 7 by 31/2 miles, nestled in the Bay of St. Malo along with its sister Islands Jersey, Alderney, Sark and the little paradise island called Herm. It is 85 miles south of England and within sight of France and its main town is St. Peter Port.

The Channel Islands -
"Little jewels dropped by France and picked up by England".
(Victor Hugo)

Guernsey is very picturesque and full of colour. Its mild climate is similar to that of central California, the temperatures rarely dropping below freezing. The beaches are some of the cleanest in Britain with beautiful clear blue water, long stretches of sand on one side and steep rocky cliffs on the other. It is the perfect place for long walks along the cliffs, for bird watching, nature study, boating, sailing & water sports, artists (Such as Renoir) and for writers and poets (Guernsey was home to Victor Hugo and his home "Hauteville House" holds many of his works including "Toilers of the Sea" and "Les Miserables").
The pace of life in Guernsey is slow yet it is close enough to England and just a puddle hop away from the rest of Europe. The old language of Guernsey is "Guernésiais" (Dgèrnésiais), also known as Patois, Guernsey French or Normandy French & is still in use today among older residents. Street names, houses and parishes are named in French also.
The photo above is of Shell Beach in Herm. Click the link at the bottom of this page to see a few more Guernsey photos.

The move to the USA...

So how did I end up here? Well Love does strange things! I met my husband on "The Love Boat" in the Caribbean and after surviving 2 years of a long distance relationship & a whole week of camping together without killing each other we figured we could survive marriage! I quit my job as a Jeweler so I could spend some time visiting the country where I hoped to live. We visited each other numerous times and finally married in England.
Although always an island girl at heart, I have lived in Texas now for 15 years and am very happy with where I live. My interest in nature continued as I began to learn about the different animal and plant life here. I continued my interest in natural medicine and became certified in Aromatherapy with the Australasian College of Health Sciences. I also volunteered a number of years at the Fort Worth Nature Center as a docent, leading school children on hikes around the refuge, educating about the areas native wildlife and plants.
On the home front I had to rethink my way of gardening as English plants just do not grow down here in Texas! I'm lucky enough to be a homemaker and I have been able, over several years, to landscape our garden with Texas plants, English style, and is landscaped to attract birds and wildlife. This country has so many beautiful places and my birding allows me to see many places I would not otherwise see, places off the beaten path.

About My Travels

I was lucky growing up to be able to see many places in Europe while on Holidays with my parents and since I've been married. Some of these include:
France, Monaco, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Ibiza, Austria and the Canary Islands.

In the USA I've driven through numerous states and made a couple of trips into Canada. From Michigan we drove down here to Texas through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Other states include Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, Nevada, Utah, Washington State, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai & Hawaii.
Cruises to the Caribbean have covered Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

I love to travel and see new places (especially islands!), however done, whether its a cruise or a drive in the car and camping. In the summer of 2002 my husband and I went on a 3 week vacation to Ireland via Paris. It was our first time to both places and we really enjoyed it! Since then, cruises to the Carribbean and other trips within the US, UK and back home to Guernsey, have kept us busy :-)

Hobbies & Interests
There are too many......
Gardening, Birding, Walking, Hiking, Backpacking, Geneology, Wine tasting, Reading, Listening to good music especially guitar & piano, Dance - Ballroom and the Latin dances - Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Rhumba & Cha Cha.

Sarnia Cherie

This is the Guernsey Anthem, the words of which couldn't mean more to me! The word "Sarnia" is the traditional latin word for "Guernsey" and the title translates as "Dear Guernsey". It was written in 1911. The music for it can be heard here.

Sarnia Cherie

Sarnia; dear Homeland, Gem of the sea.
Island of beauty, my heart longs for thee.
Thy voice calls me ever, in waking, or sleep,
Till my soul cries with anguish, my eyes ache to weep.
In fancy I see thee, again as of yore,
Thy verdure clad hills and thy wave beaten shore.
Thy rock sheltered bays, ah; of all thou art best,
I'm returning to greet thee, dear island of rest.

Chorus:
Sarnia Cherie. Gem of the sea.
Home of my childhood, my heart longs for thee.
Thy voice calls me ever, forget thee I'll never,
Island of beauty. Sarnia Cherie.

I left thee in anger, I knew not thy worth.
Journeyed afar, to the ends of the earth.
Was told of far countries, the heav'n of the bold,
Where the soil gave up diamonds, silver and gold.
The sun always shone, and "race" took no part,
But thy cry always reached me, its pain wrenched my heart.
So I'm coming home, thou of all art the best.
Returning to greet thee, dear island of rest.

Chorus

Guernsey Links...

Visit Guernsey
Guernsey Scenes
This is Guernsey
Herm ISland